The Old South Shore (America's Last Classic Interurban Railway)

[@uscgtankerwhitmore8777]

The steel cars are still running today like they did 60 years ago. though we could always use a few more volunteers at the East Troy Railroad.

[@cheryltaylor1777]

Raised in Chicago, trains were icons of their day. To work, to play, vacations, to State street to see Christmas, trains were part of the memories of childhood. Starting to train travel now in retirement. Forgot the relaxation and lack of stress trains bring.

[@frankdenardo8684]

Cheryl Taylor those were the days.

[@johngranted2169]

I rode the old orange cars.its great the South shore ran the Street run until 2022. I had fun riding this train from 1974 to 2019.its nice to have a nastolgic railroad in the early 2020s.

[@Featureman]

We used to take the South Shore from Hammond to Chicago and back. One time there was a derailment. We had to get out of our passenger car and walk around the derailed train and then board a train they sent to take us back to Hammond. We actually took the South Shore to Chicago to see the Chicago Railroad Fair about 1949. That show had all the new ideas for great trains of the future and trains from the past.

[@edhuster6415]

I was a sailor who use to ride old southshore trains. I catch it to South Bend. My father or sister pick me up. They were old but reliable. I now work in public transportation.

[@arrowguy_173]

Grew up near South Bend and have taken this last true interurban several times to Chicago. What a treasure to still have it!

[@scoobycarr5558]

Now the South Shore's got nifty bilevel coaches just like the Metra Electric.

[@guitarttimman]

Are you related to the late Kelly Sherman?

[@michaelglass4701]

Brad Sherman , yes it is a treasure 👍🛤️🚈

[@guitarttimman]

Are you related to the awesome late Kelly Sherman?

[@yozie18]

In Vancouver, all of our interurban cars were burned. Thank you GM.

[@10maycar]

Miss those trains I took it almost every week end to go and visit my sister! Good old days ❤️🇺🇸

[@trainsandtrams2020]

Gotta love those classic old railcars in their handsome color scheme. Good thing that at least the line is still open and going strong as modern commuter railroad. Thanks for sharing this piece of visual history!

[@iamkazie9401]

Living here in Hegewisch all my life I've been able to enjoy the South Shore line many times and then my daughter as well working downtown I miss the old Hegewisch station that was at the corner of Brandon/Brainard used to go there for ice cream THANKS FOR SHARING ALOT OF MEMORIES HERE

[@georgeorwell4534]

I visited friends in Michigan City and took the train into Chicago. You've every right to be proud of the service.

[@ckule427]

In 1973 Dad visited from Philly. Took the connection from O'Hare to downtown, then x-ferred to the South Shore to SB. I was a law school student at ND. The trip from the Loop to SB took about 90 minutes each way.

[@claudermiller]

Used to have them out where I live. 60 miles from Cincinnati. It was the best way for rural people to get to the city.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

I have this video by Green Frog of the CSS&SB RR in the 1970s. Nice footage with great sound (of actual South Shore trains). Highly recommend buying the DVD!

[@b3j8]

Took a time exposure of one of their cars stopped at the now-closed Bendix Station in South Bend in the Winter of 1977. It was dusk, and temp was 5 degrees! My "tripod" was a frozen snow pile near the platform. The photo came out fine!

[@johngranted2169]

It's great to see the last interurban in America going strong as of 2022. This railroad has a bright future.its good a lot of money is being invested in it.

[@edwardpate6128]

I used to travel back home for the weekends from Great Lakes Naval Station to Detroit. I remember seeing these trains from a distance running in parallel to the toll road. Always thought they were very cool!

[@sillambretta]

I rode the SS in 80-81 when I went to school in Chicago. My commute was from Michigan City to the Van Buren station in Chicago. The 29' cars had the smaller windows and were one hell of a lot smoother than the 46' cars every now & then they'd slap a 1913 car on the 4:30 - 6:30 commutes and they were like silk. Everyone would scurry about to get on the old cars.

[@soarinskies1105]

Looks like I have another item on my bucket list, ride the south shore railway.

[@johnstanberry4223]

Excellent video. Old school Electric Grinding Geared Interurban Railroad Cars! Woooooooo! Reminds me of the 1930 Built Erie Lackawanna MU cars I Rode from Hoboken, Newjersey between August 1980 to August 1984 on Old Delaware Lackawanna & Western Railroad Lines under 3000 Volt DC Catenary at that time. Keep up the great work!

[@PGHammer21A]

As I mentioned above, the Electric Interuban is an ancestor of light rail - especially in Los Angeles ("Captain Marvel") and metro Baltimore MD's MTS (which I rode myself in 2000) - could the rail cars that Los Angeles and Baltimore's MTS be used by South Shore?.

[@Harveycartoonlvr11]

Wow! That area at 130th & Torrence Avenue is undergoing massive change...and old Monon/Erie Lackawanna tracks in that area are all gone except for the ex-NW/NKP, which is now NS. More tracks are there on the NS Side, but as storage tracks mostly seeing Auto Rack cars parked or being switched for the Ford Assembly Plant nearby.

[@iamkazie9401]

Saxiesax you should now see how the intersection of 130th and Torrence Ave and the new South shore bridge looks you can view it here on you tube

[@TheStreetcarnut]

Great stuff, I rode these orange cars in 1971 and 1980 with a Michigan railfan friend, John Karas from Stevensville, Mi. Brings back many good memories...........

[@carmichaeltrainproductionc9663]

I love hows this video takes me back in time!!

[@MrCateagle]

Made the trip from Hammond to Chicago and back many times in my childhood in thhe late 1950-s/eearly 1960's. Thqnks for this trip down memory lane. The CAE brings ack memories, my folks t[k me on their final run.

[@bcshelby4926]

..used to ride the old South Shore line to get to the Museum of Science and Industry from downtown back in the 60s.

[@jeffbrown3963]

South Shore must have had an awesome maintenance crew taking care of the equipment. Probably still do!

[@pauljevert1450]

South Shore Shopmen were "Wizards" that kept those rickety old cars Chugg 'in along way past 50 years. Actually 57 years ! 1926-1983 !!! Much of the repairs and rebuild of the cars were done with handmade shop foundry and blacksmithing work using basic "bar stock" ! Years of operation being exposed to Highway winter salt and snow caused extensive decay and corrosion of the car underframes and hanging electrical components and air lines. Michigan City Shops was in a race for time to keep them running until they got the State and U.S. Funds for new equipment in 1983.

[@skinnycat3899]

As a child my parents took us to Chicago on the SS. Seats had doilies and it was clean and fun. Saw my first nun in full habit and she scared me to the verge of tears, I thought she was a witch.

[@SuperRolyPoly]

Great informative film. Being in the UK it's great to see how things were in other parts of the world and good to know that the line is still open.

[@_Tommmmmm_]

Man I love this vintage footage as well as vintage trains and cars. Wish I lived during this time, everything had a cool look and feel to it.

[@1985chrisross]

Ah, little joe, How I love thee so much! I got to watch him in action at IRM a couple weekends ago.... The horn on Joe is music to my ears.

[@spindalis79]

This was awesome. Being born in the late 70s, this is similar to how I remember the early to mid 80s landscape in Illinois. I especially remember the old telegraph poles that lined the tracks around I-55 and also near my grandparents' house in Manteno, IL. I believe there was also one near where my other grandparents resided in Braidwood, IL as well as an old closed up station that was being used for another purpose.

[@trainsandships]

It will be nice if they run historic orange South Shore rail cars between South Bend and Michigan City. I was surprised there are no South Shore Museum at Michigan City. We need it.

[@crashcast_e6339]

Dave Olszewski we don't need a museum in michigan city because of two reasons: there ain't space for one, and CSS&SB equipment is preserved at both East Troy electric and the Illinois Railway Museum.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

@@crashcast_e6339 and many other places around the country too.

[@suburbankaren5137]

Very cool. Love the train history!!!

[@richdiscoveries]

Such a great video. Thank you for sharing

[@Ferrocarril_Chicago]

I always enjoy seeing the old South Shore archives. Also, I came across a little error. Hegewisch, which in fact is where I'm from, is actually a Chicago neighborhood. Over a century ago or so I think, it used to be its own town, but for a long time now it's been officially a Chicago neighborhood.

[@GreenFrogVideos]

Thanks very much for the correction, glad you enjoyed the video clip.

[@BLACKVIKNGS88]

Go to the Illinois Railway museum, in Union Illinois. They have a lot of trains. Including a little joe and the old orange passenger trains.

[@markarrivi3818]

Used To Take These Cars In 1972 3 and 4 Was A Decent Ride From South Bend To Down Town Chicago Thanks

[@ericvondumb2838]

Delivered mail in Hammond. Two buildings are now or were a bait shot and a bookie joint. Ahhhh, the 80s and 90s. lol

[@iamkazie9401]

Rudy's bait shop right next to the tracks on hohman Ave in Hammond that old lady was so nice rest her soul used to go there with my son in the early 2000 for bait

[@MrClay1983]

I just accidentally ran into electric car #11 from this railroad sitting in a junction on the side of the road earlier today, really cool to see how this line operated back in the day and it’s really cool to see that equipment from it still survives today; I really love those Little Joe’s and it’s cool that 803 has been preserved as well. Really amazing video and thanks for sharing!

[@scoobycarr5558]

At 2:08 a single car will not do on today's South Shore Line - even on non peak times the CSS&SB's trains have at least four coaches.

[@NHightower60]

History @ it's best!!!

[@soarinskies1105]

Honestly even though the little joes probably weren't that energy efficient or very powerful(please correct me if I am wrong) they had one of the coolest most unique looks and one of the coolest sounding horns.

[@mmi16]

They were strong enough for the Milwaukee Road to use them in some of their electrified mountain territory.

[@wharris302]

id say 5,550hp was pretty good for the 1940s.

[@trainliker100]

For comparison, the 1939 vintage Electro-Motive FT diesel-electrics required FOUR units (like the famous A-B-B-A demonstrator set) to get 5,400 HP. The Pennsylvania GG1, which most probably recognize as a pretty powerful electric locomotive, was 4,620 HP. continuous. I believe the "Little Joes" were rated at 5,110 HP continuous. It was certainly a powerful engine for its time.

[@pauljevert1450]

South Shore Operating crews referred to them as 800's and not little joe ! Just a technical correction. The Milwaukee Road crews called them Joe's.

[@johnpatz6197]

The last time I road the South Shore I was coming home to Indiana from boot camp. That would be 1973. Very bumpy ride as I recall.

[@gskchicago]

I grew up in NW Ind. my uncle used to live down on Houston Ave. there in Hegewisch. My mom used to drive down to her brother's house and we used to walk to the old station on Brainard Ave. till it was torn down and moved down the road when METRA came in. After I got married I took my wife and kids On the SS to Chicago and they had a ball. Loved riding on that train from Hegwisch to Chicago getting off at Randolph St. and spending the day in downtown Chicago. Never had to worry about parking then.

[@musicforaarre]

Thank you so much. It brings tears to my eyes ! Aarre Peltomaa

[@scoobycarr5558]

The East Troy Electric Railroad no doubt is still a working railroad that ferries riders to and from East Troy and Mukwonago with a stopover at the Elegant Farmer. Kind of like Wisconsin's version of Metra if you ask me. Plus Canadian National has a connection to the East Troy RR. Possibly CN might have a online customer or two over in East Troy.

[@robertdelapaz6848]

Took this train from Miller station to downtown years ago. Terror train it was. Always late. Was sitting in the last car heading downtown. 8 cars pulled into 57th street station only 6 on left. The engineer didn’t know two cars had detached, and we sat there for 20 minutes until they came back and reattach the cars. Wintertime. Not all cars had heat and no a/c in most of the cars for summer. The little train that could, but sometimes can’t.😂

[@mrjoe2227]

5:20 nice custom #vannin chilling on the toll-road.

[@torqued666]

I think that the one-way fare back then was $3.15. I rode that train so many times that I knew who all the conductors were having affairs with the passengers. Or something like that.

[@Quad8track]

I grew up in Miller. We rode these to downtown Chicago (Randolph street) many times. I remember when the last one operated in 1983.

[@torqued666]

How about the smell of the Randolph Street Station? Walking through it was always an experience in those days.

[@larrydinkoff2350]

@@torqued666 I wonder how many folks from Chicago know that the Randolph Street Entrance down to the ticket agents, and the trains was where Jake Lingle, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune was murdered.

[@jameswoolley3617]

I grew up in Granger, back in the 50's.. I did get to ride it once..

[@WhiteCamry]

Did freights and passengers run on the same tracks? I just had a vision of those Hammond commuters waiting on the EB track for the WB combine, while an out-of-shot Little Joe announces its approach in no uncertain terms.

[@mattberg916]

And today the South Shore is in the process of extending south to Dyer, IN. along the ex-Monon CSX, commuter service of course

[@thomasgriffin5340]

It’s a fun ride. My wife snd I made a Chicago to Hammond trip for $6.50 cigarettes. Would have liked to ride the old cars and seen the Little Joes in action but we were kids back at the time of these film clips.

[@davidbudka9976]

Addition to my wish list!

[@251Aloha]

Very nice video!

[@TheRantingCabbie]

2:25 SOO Line. Sault Ste Marie Mi. CP subsidiary. Saw plenty of them on the Canadian side.

[@SteamboatWilley]

Cool seeing the "little Joes" as well as the interurban.

[@RickRairdon]

I road it from South Bend To Chicago when I joined USMC in 1964.

[@TheAxelay]

There is something very therapeutic about watching the olden American Electric Railways vids from a long ago bygone era, the insane designs of the locomotives that had the power, the speed and even had the ability to shunt also. The passenger cars with their unique looks and personality and quirks. What happened to the great US railways in general?! I'm sorry but today's diesel era just bores the crap out of me....

[@Isochest]

It shows electric is the obvious power system. Diesel means Oil Dependency. Think Rockerfeller and Skull and Bones

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

@@Isochest They use diesel locomotives because it's not very cost effective to put overhead wire along long stretches of many rail lines. Also diesel locomotives are very efficient, many of which have 400 miles per ton gallon.

[@DirkGorgiel]

We in Berlin, Germany have totally separated tracks and power systems. Tunnels, bridges...for our S-Bahn (urban rapid trains), Trams on the streets, U-Bahn (Underground trains), Busses. It's about time the USA is coming back to mass transportation. It's not enough pretending being modern.

[@henryhoefelt6710]

Agree!

[@kevinloving606]

True the U.S. invented Interurbans as they the internet just to see Europe pull waaaay ahead

[@LordZontar]

Definitely. We had all this great stuff and threw it away.

[@guitarttimman]

Those old orange babies were actually faster than the trains they have now! LOL

[@randomkate2246]

I road those cars many times.

[@StephanMskymech231]

Love the old interbahn and trolley lines. GM bus lines and the railroads did a great disservice to the country. In destroying the passenger rail service.

[@nicolek4076]

+Stephan M I wonder whether we would be in a better position regarding global warming if the USA hadn't abandoned passenger rail transport in favour of the motor car. It seems to me that other countries are trying to do the same simply because that's what the USA did.

[@StephanMskymech231]

+Nicole K after the interbahn lines were bought up by the grandfather of greyhound. all these wonderful lines were lost. To me light rail makes so much more sense. now we see people and companies moving back toward it. After all the hyperloop and monorails are just modern day versions.

[@nicolek4076]

Stephan M Quite. Fifty years after all the English cities tore up their tramlines, they're now spending enormous sums reinstating them. I'd like to see the hyperloop succeed.

[@kevinloving606]

Stephan M True corporate greed did in a lot of these trolley and Interurban lines And like said before U.S. cities are spending billions to yes you guessed it to U.S. companies using foreign labor to reinstall light rail

[@Poisson4147]

+Stephan M During the 1940s and 50s there was a company called National City Lines that billed itself as a "white knight", with promises to help struggling transit systems by consolidating management, purchase, etc. But after getting a system to let them take over those operations they would begin "improvements" by replacing trolleys with buses, or in some cases shutting things down completely. It later turned out that NCL was a false-front company controlled by General Motors and at least one oil company and a rubber-tire manufacturer. Congress tried to, uh, punish them and assessed a total fine of .... $5,000. NCL was by no means the only reason a lot of trolley companies went under, but they definitely made the situation a LOT worse. They sought out companies that were already in trouble and hastened their demise, and weakened those that were in better shape. There's no way to answer "what if", but it can be argued that without NCL many more rail operators might have survived long enough to evolve into municipal light rail systems.

[@fredpohl5202]

The sir horns remind !e of theGG1,s we used to have in the Philly srea

[@pauladams9067]

What about the North Shore " Skokie" Railway , between Chicago & Milwaukee???? When was it discontinued??? It ran next to the U.S NAVAL HOSPITAL TRAINING BASE , GREAT LAKES ILLINOIS???

[@Thunder_6278]

The South shore as we remember it. "The little train that could" era.

[@johnclayden1670]

Fascinating! Each car was powered? From the interior shots, they did look like rough riders ....

[@PGHammer21A]

The EIs (electric interurbans) are the ancestors of light rail (which exists in Los Angeles and Baltimore today - and appeared in "Captain Marvel" (Los Angeles) and is metropolitan Baltimore's MTS (which I rode myself in 2000)) - like the South Shore, they "street run" as a matter of course.

[@danielkennedy1524]

Excellent! interesting about the little Joe. Any footage on the North Shore?

[@shimpo0713]

This photo(Title) look like the HANWA Electric Railway (Osaka to Wakayama) in Japan about 1930s.Its very fondoly remembered scences

[@DjFreemode]

@MrFlightfan this is actually the blu-ray version of the dvd.

[@robertgift]

Are the freight locomotive frontwo wheels powered? 8:75 crossing signals leaning against a building? Thank you for posting this.

[@andresinsurriaga1082]

The good thing about those old cars was that you could open the window on a hot summer day. Not so on the new cars.

[@chicagonorthwesternrailfan5043]

At 0:38 I have seen that car it’s at the Boone and scenic valley railroad

[@parkman35]

Those old cars lasted a long time..

[@Poisson4147]

Some of that old equipment was really solid. The PRR's MP-54s were similar in outward design and appearance; they ran from before WWI until the 1980s. Brill's interurbans like the Bullets and Strafford cars also put in 60-plus years on the rails. (In fact, it's been argued that Brill hastened its own demise by building equipment that lasted so long most clients never needed to replace them)

[@pu5epx]

Some of these "Russian" locomotives went to Brazil, they are very similar to GE "V8's" that were the workhorses of the beloved Companhia Paulista railroad.

[@davidwpinkston4226]

good narrative

[@trainrover]

How is it possible saying "on a dark winter's day" with much blue sky as the backdrop to your narration?

[@crashcast_e6339]

The orange crates were decades old, but still more reliable than the new Nippon sharyo gallery cars!

[@Ben-bb7mi]

The "new" cars are now approaching the age the old steel cars were when their replacement was becoming a necessity.

[@PeterKerrigan]

Is the sound overdubbed? While sound super 8 home movie gear actually existed in the 70's, it was wildly expensive .. US$1000 for the equipment, US$4/minute for film and processing in an era when netting $100/week after taxes was considered a good salary.

[@GreenFrogVideos]

About 75% of the sound on this program was recorded on location onto the film with Super-8 equipment, we did have to dub in the remaining scenes where sound was missing!

[@PeterKerrigan]

​@@GreenFrogVideos Thanks for the reply. The "Orange Zipper" is a big part of my personal and family history. The scanned film looks great, beautiful color and detail. Thanks for all of your hard work.

[@chrisw443]

Still take it all the time, the service needs a bit of improvement and price adjustment for the tickets but otherwise its a fine service!

[@MrVasher]

Мотор-вагоны просто красавчики!

[@BritanniaPacific]

What's the name of the narrator? I swear I've heard him in a mark 1 video documentary titled; Susquehanna spectacular.

[@lylecosmopolite]

The South Shore still runs only thanks to a large annual subsidy from the state of Indiana, which also pays for any new rolling stock. The South Shore makes it possible to commute to a job in downtown Chicago, from Hammond, Michigan city and South Bend. I omitted Gary because no one with any education lives within 5 miles of theGary stops.

[@mic1240]

Less Miller Beach (which is in city of Gary btw).

[@bobbydale1938]

Have this stuff in blu ray

[@GreenFrogVideos]

Hello Bobby, yes we do, here is the link - www.greenfrog.com/BluRay_OldSouthShore.shtml -- Thank-you

[@hifijohn]

use to take it out of the hammond station all the time.

[@FreedomtowerStudios]

Great Video! At 6:32, what is that thing sticking out from the crossing gate pole?

[@trappedinlafayette]

One happy engineer........................

[@mcornell4588]

These are the trains I remember riding out to visit my Grandparents in Gary in the 50's and 60's. We would get off at the Clark Street stop and my grandfather would pick us up in his car. The last time I rode the South Shore was when I was home on leave in the Spring of 1970.

Great historical video, my complements on a job well done. Got a kick out of the comment about the Little Joe's cancelled by Bolshevik Stalin as " the cold war was heating up". Ha ha, that was cute.

[@OskarOH]

Why do i smell a reupload???? Hmm, could it be becouse there are two? Not complaining. I love this vid.

[@michaelleggett3980]

That train sounds like the R1-9 Subway Car Series.

[@mattlaw5426]

the south shore workers actually called them 800s

[@TrainmasterCurt]

Those little Joe's looked like two-headed E-3 units!

[@RailPreserver2K]

Are there any South shore cars preserved

[@robertlee6781]

I believe there is one at the Illinois Railroad museum in Union, Il.

[@air757]

Ther is a museum in Michigan City.

[@spaceghost8995]

There is a Little Joe loco preserved at a museum in Erie, PA I believe.

[@FreedomtowerStudios]

Also you can tell this vide is old because the gates are wooden Wishbone gates/A type gates.

[@sammarachino5427]

Dang, did that double nosed F unit ( f7 or f 9 or whatever) have 12 axels?

[@russellgxy2905]

That wasn't even a diesel. The narrator said they were GE-built electric locomotives, Little Joes as they were called. And yes, they did have 12 axles, only the middle eight were powered though. Same as the Baldwin Centipedes.

[@sammarachino5427]

Actually, being a long time RR buff, I knew both types of vehicles in this video were pantograph supplied electrics. My remark, or question, was meant as a comment concerning the appearance of the engine at 7:30+ minutes into the video. It looks like 2 shark nose engines welded together, back to back. And, as you pointed out, were electro-powered, not diesel. Happy railroading

[@OskarOH]

@DjFreemode Oh, i see. Where did you find that?

[@gygyman64]

I want to see this in Railworks, I have no idea why there is no interest in this period to be shown in that game.

[@crashcast_e6339]

They should have made the North Shore Line instead of the Sacramento Northern, eh?

[@DjFreemode]

@MrFlightfan the greenfrog website.